Class was over at 2:50.Chris and Stephen are still working! Rationale Based on final grades from Fall 2004, the pass rate (ABCD/ABCDFW) for students enrolled in online Anatomy and Physiology courses was 6.5 percentage points higher than for students enrolled in face-to-face courses. The differential between these groups for the success rate (ABC/ABCDFW) was 9.5 percentage points. While neither of these was statistically significant, they were large enough to motivate the faculty to investigate potential causes. A review of data from student focus groups indicated that the more visual nature of the online delivery, its potential to always be available for the students (not just during class time), and the ability to ask questions without concern, may have been a primary contributor to the differential in grades. With the wireless laptops, I am able to give this class the benefits of both personal interaction and place the control of their success literally at their own fingertips. Instead of being simply visual and auditory, even the lecture portion of the course becomes kinesthetic. The students are working cooperatively, and learning from discussions amongst themselves instead of attempting to memorize each word that I utter and write. When I first introduced this concept to my class, they completely freaked out! Now, they stay in class well past the scheduled ending time for the class period. They seem to be so involved in their work that they lose track of time. Now, they tell me that they really enjoy the course, and they don't mind that it requires extra effort on their part.

Impact on Teaching While the advantages of teaching with technology have long been identified, the primary advantage found in this project was the availability of instantaneous assessment of learning to both the student and the instructor. Instead of wondering if students are truly hearing the lecture and learning the content, the instructor was able to measure content knowledge gained by the students on a minute by minute basis. When a collaborative group exhibited poor understanding of a content topic, the instructor was able to immediately intercede and re-teach the objective.

This project is made possible through a grant from HP and support from MESA, under the HP/MESA Diversity in Engineering Initiative.

If you teach the same students the same material using the same methods repeatedly with no success, you have to wonder who the slow learner is.

Implementation (pedagogy) Prior to this project, a typical face-to-face course of Anatomy and Physiology at Darton College followed either a straight lecture format, with little to no technological support, or the instructor's work station and digital projectors were used to permit students the opportunity to view online notes, PowerPoint presentations, or the occasional video animation in class. The online versions of Anatomy and Physiology allowed students access to all of these tools, and removed the access restrictions associated with class time. Realizing that some of our students were not comfortable taking a completely online course, for this project we chose a design that would optimize the students' control of, and access to, technology-delivered content while they were in the classroom. Lectures were replaced with students using wireless laptops, working in collaborative groups, to review online material, discuss answers to essential questions, and complete online quizzes while in the classroom. Results of the online assessments were instantaneously available to the instructor, who provided immediate feedback to redirect any student misconceptions.

Implementation (technology) Using the set of HP laptops provided through our previous grant, students were given access to lecture notes, video, mimeo, pictures, and animations developed for our online courses. Darton uses WebCT VISTA as our course management tool. VISTA supports online chat, email, discussion boards, quizzes, surveys, and tests. ADAM Interactive Anatomy and Physiology software was also used to provide video support for challenging concepts. Darton's Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Department (ITDL) have been instrumental in making this project successful. OIT provided wireless service for the Science/Math building, and sat in on the first three classes to be sure that there were no problems logging on to the computers and maintaining the wireless connection. ITDL provided tech support in the development of additional learning features specific to this project, through Flash animation, Respondus, and Hot Potato. As an unexpected outcome, ITDL has begun work on true 3D projection of anatomical models in a user-controllable, video format. A working prototype heart is completed. With additional support from a Department of Labor grant (funded), and an NSF CCLI proposal (pending) we will be able to provide 3D projection of all major anatomical systems within 18 months.

3-D Heart

Impact on Student Learning Comparison of student pass rates from Fall 04 to Fall 05 found that while the overall pass rates for all Anatomy and Physiology courses was virtually unchanged (68.4% and 69.8% respectively), the pass rate in the project course (95%) was significantly higher (p-value = 0.012). A similar comparison of pass rates between the project course and other sections of A&P from Fall 05 found the same result. With the expansion of this project to other sections of A&P, we hope to find a positive impact on student pass rates for all A&P courses.

Darton College's MESA Web Page The Hewlett Packard Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (Hp-MESA) Program is an academic enrichment program that provides community college math, engineering, and science majors support so they can excel academically and transfer to four-year institutions to complete their degrees in science, math, and engineering fields. Savvy Cyber Professor I am in the 05-06 Savvy Cyber Professor cohort which is involved in creating real world learning objects and integrating them into community college courses. From Lecture to Collaboration in the Biology Classroom When faced with a changing student population many educators have chosen to adapt their course material to better suit the needs and interests of their students. The course transformation template allows the educator to document and share with other educators how a course can be altered, how those alterations transformed student motivation and learning, and what issues arose in the process. This template provides space for personal reflection and the sharing of resources for others interested in transforming their own course.

Quick Facts about the Course Division of Science and Mathematics Courses Impacted: Biology 2111K, Anatomy and Physiology I Biology 2112K, Anatomy and Physiology II Biology 1100K, Anatomy and Physiology for Health Care Professionals Total number of students enrolled in the courses: Spring 06: 160 Number of faculty Involved with this course redesign project: 1

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